Mama Bear Dares

On Episode 243, Leslie and Tesi sit down and talk about girls and sex. They dive into the research (for instance, Peggy Orenstein’s fabulous book) and try to crystallize what they’ve learned for listeners and offer a few practical take-aways. They discuss what the research is saying about girls, teenagers, and young women in America in 2019, how to talk to our kids about sex, consent, porn, and female pleasure. It’s a fascinating, educational look at the world we occupy and how we can be allies to the young women in our lives. For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares website.

On Episode 242 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie sit down with Huda Essa, an extraordinary woman who uses her training and experience to educate and influence communities across the nation as a Cultural Competency Consultant. Huda is a TEDx speaker and the author of a motivational children's book, Teach Us Your Name, which is focused on empowering children to take pride in their many identities while showing respect for themselves and others. Throughout the conversation, the three women discuss the importance of recognizing personal biases, understanding the influence of our culture, and the small yet profound steps all of us can take in order to promote a more accepting and inclusive world. For complete Show Notes visit the Mama Bear Dares website.

On Episode 241 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie sit down with author and activist Katie Ganshert and discuss everything from how to have productive conversations with those we don’t agree with, how to use our spheres of influence to turn the dial toward less bias to more love, how our good intentions need to be backed by mountains of thoughtful research and great questions in order to have the most positive impact, and how National Adoption Month can be both loaded with complexity and a beautiful opportunity to serve the world. The conversation is far-reaching, honest, and pleasantly intense. Visit the Mama Bear Dares website for complete Show Notes.

On Episode 240 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie sit down to learn more about the racial wealth gap in America. In this episode, the women bring all kinds of research, numbers, and statistics, they explore the long history of the racial wealth gap in our country, and they examine the long history of policies put into place that have kept Blacks, Whites, and Latinos in America on a terribly uneven playing field when it comes to acquiring and keeping wealth. The sister/co-hosts do the work to crumble the misconception that acquiring wealth is ONLY a matter or working hard and they explore the policies that maintains the huge gaps between races living in America. For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares podcast website.

On Episode 239 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Leslie and Tesi sit down with Arianna Taboada, a maternal health researcher, advocate, lecturer, trainer, fierce Mama Bear, and maternity leave consultant. Ariana brings incredible perspective and the latest research and information about the current systems and policies in place in our country regarding postpartum health and maternity (and paternity) leave. The three women enjoy a lively conversation full of carefully investigated facts and anecdotes that will leave listeners inspired to learn more and to advocate for the rights of American families. Learn more about Ariana on her website and Instagram. For more about the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, click here.

On Episode 238 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie dig into a discussion of healthcare in America. Who’s insured? For what? At what cost? Why does America rank so low in terms of health among industrialized nations across the globe? Tesi shares her personal health journey with chronic lyme’s disease and what she’s learned about insurance in the process. The women work hard to keep politics out of the conversation (minus a discussion of the Democratic front-runners proposed plans) and look at insurance and healthcare as humans and taxpayers. This episode is for anyone who has been confused or unsure about this monolithic topic. For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares Podcast.

On Episode 237, Leslie and Tesi were thrilled to sit down with Eve Rodsky, the author of Reese Witherspoon’s October book pick, FAIR PLAY: A Game-Changing Solution For When You Have Too Much To Do (And More Life to Live). The women lament the mental load that so many of us shoulder, but ultimately celebrate Eve’s revolutionary system for rebalancing the domestic workload between partners, putting an end to the imbalance of “invisible work” that women do regardless of whether they work outside the home. The conversation is candid, insightful, full of facts and information, AND leaves listeners with the tools and the hope they so desperately need to create a practical solution that will ultimately save our sanity, identity, career, and partnerships. For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares website.  

On Episode 236 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie sit down with “The Tween Queen,” family expert Demi Austin Thomas. A well-respected parenting coach and exceedingly loving person, Demi helps families and parents navigate their way through difficult times. The three women enjoy an authentic, truth- and wisdom-filled conversation spanning from Demi’s own struggles as a teenager, to her direct approach to communicating with teens by meeting them where they are emotionally and mentally. The women enjoy sharing stories and Tesi and Leslie appreciate Demi’s approach, which have been described as old school with a redefined approach. Listen, laugh, nod your head, and learn. For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares Podcast website.

On Episode 235, Tesi and Leslie add their Mama Bear voice to the discussion of cultural appropriation…a conversation they feel is relevant not just on Halloween but on every other day of the year as well. They discuss how to be cultural appreciators rather than appropriators, why they cling tightly to the maxim that Friends Don’t Let Friends Wear Blackface, and what makes them adamant in their belief that when you know better you do better. The sisters are candid about past mistakes and mis-steps, bring the research behind their current views, and challenge one another, as well as listeners, to look beyond themselves and carefully consider the weight of each of our actions. For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares website.

On Episode 234 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie talk to Anne Moss Rogers, a fierce mental health advocate, speaker, and writer who helps people foster a culture of connection to prevent suicide, reduce substance misuse, and find life after loss. Through their discussion, Anne Moss teaches Tesi and Leslie about how to talk about suicide and grief, potential warning signs, helpful resources, and how to walk through life with a grieving friend. Anne Moss shares the sorrow of her son Charles dying by suicide after many years of struggling with anxiety, depression, and addiction and listeners will be grateful as she gracefully shares her hard-won wisdom and compassion. This episode is a tender conversation filled with truth, strength, and comfort. For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares website. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please dial 1-800-273-8255 right now to get help. 

On Episode 233 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie discuss #HUSTLE #GRIND #TEAMNOSLEEP #GETIT #DOWORK #HUSTLINGHARD and how all of these pithy hashtags add up to the very real phenomenon of what’s known as “Hustle Culture.” The women dissect the idea of Hustle Culture from a feminist and classist perspective and question the idea that success only comes after exerting yourself at max capacity, all day, every day. They discuss their own tendencies toward hustle, and end the episode with ideas of how to wade through Hustle Culture, how to help kids navigate a workplace focused on a narrow view of success, and reflect on what makes a whole and healthy being in the midst of 2019. Go to the Mama Bear Dares website for complete Show Notes.

On Episode 232 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, sister-cohosts Leslie and Tesi sit down with Dr. Brandie Nemchenko. Since 2002, Dr. Brandie has worked as a chiropractor and has noticed a change in women’s health…a change that’s not necessarily for the better. In a conversation filled with practical tips and advice, Dr. Brandie talks about how we can better care for ourselves and our bodies as we lead lives full of love and service. For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares website.

On Episode 231 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie talk about purity culture and its impact on girls and women in America in 2019. Horrified by the stories of Jeffrey Epstein, incited by a culture of victim blaming and shaming, and concerned about the cultural waters we currently swim in, the two women talk about their own experiences as well as the experience of raising daughters in 2019. How can we do better by our daughters AND our sons? How can we disagree with grace without shaming one another? How do we do better as a culture to love better and respect more? The sister-hosts discuss these questions and more in this Mama Bear Mini. For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares website.

On Episode 230 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie revisit an episode (previously titled Make America Kind Again)that reminds listeners of their stance on kindness: We refuse to let it die! In fact, they wholeheartedly believe that what America needs (along with policy change) is more kindness. The women also recognize the responsibility we have as parents raising children in our current American culture to make sure that the virtue of kindness outlasts the test of time. Because, in some spheres, kindness seems to be on life-support, co-hosts Tesi and Leslie spend this episode discussing what we can do to instill this value in the kids we influence. How do we raise kind kids? It turns out, there's actually a language to kindness and it's discussed in this fun and fascinating episode! For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares website.

On Episode 229 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Leslie sits down with Miko Ehrmantraut, akaThe Budget Mom, who is on a mission to empower women to build a life they love on a budget they understand and can afford. Miko answers practical questions about budgeting, credit cards, college savings, financial priorities and goals and more, as the two women have a candid conversation about how to make money work for you and your family in the very most practical sense. All listeners will be intrigued by how Miko paid off $77,000 in debt over 8 months and how she continues to live a life she loves … within her means. For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares website.

On Episode 228 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Leslie and Tesi channel their feelings of helplessness over the recent gun violence ravaging America and put together a list of things that we, as individuals and Mama Bears, can DO as a response to white nationalism and terrorism. The women leave no stone unturned to the multi-layered horror we’re currently experiencing (they discuss upcoming elections, gaslighting, toxic masculinity, racism, video games and mental illness) and look for ways to sway the dial through owning our individual agency and doing what’s right. For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares website.

On Episode 227 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie talk books and media and following your dream, even when it’s discouraging. They sit down with Abi Maxwell, author of the new novel, THE DEN, and discuss how writing fiction can be an act of the Mama Bear, how gender roles can be broken with the power of the pen, and how there is meaning in the making. In other words, sometimes the process of doing something worth doing is just as informative and rewarding as the success at the end. Click on the Mama Bear website for complete Show Notes.

On Episode 226 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie discuss current events, in particular, President Trump’s recent tweets at four congresswomen asking them to “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.” They lament the president’s use of power to other and divide, and focus in on the words “go back” in an effort to highlight the history of such sentiment and the use of the phrase as a dog whistle for white supremacy. The two sisters look back at the historial context of this phrase and others, discuss their own racism and a mama bear response, acknowledge the cultural waters in which we swim, and ask listeners to jump into this national conversation armed with information. They conclude the episode with a tale of Leslie’s recent trip to Egypt and a few surprises she encountered there while traveling with a U.S. passport in 2019. For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares website.

On Episode 225 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie sit down with Heather Adams, the driving force behind a wildly successful and well-respected business, a wise and positive mentor to young women, and cheerleader for all that is good and just in this world. The women discuss how Heather has created a positive, celebratory culture with her all-female staff at Choice Media and Communications, how we can encourage our fellow women to new heights and to reaching our full potential, how our work can be purpose-filled, and how to honor relationships in our very full lives. Listen in and be inspired by Heather’s words, wisdom, and journey! For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares Podcast website.

On Episode 224 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie celebrate the virtue of “good enough.” Though the women value excellence and strive to be the best versions of self possible, the women spend this Mama Bear Mini talking about motivation, expectations, and the virtue of imperfection. They discuss enjoying hobbies for the sake of enjoyment rather than mastery, cultural influences that impact our leisure behavior, and the joy of celebrating the “okay-ness” of others. This episode, an ode to the “good enough” mother/friend/human/Mama Bear, will inspire listeners to embrace imperfection and find her power there. For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares podcast website.